Índex per 2022-01-28 a Star

Dieketseng Maleke dieketseng.maleke@inl.co.za RETAILER Shoprite yesterday issued a strong interim operational update with sales up 10 percent and as it raised a glass to LiquorShop’s sales, which increased by a whopping 49.8 percent due to less strict Covid-19 restrictions. This despite being impacted by Covid-19 regulations and the riots which occurred in Gauteng and KwaZulu- Natal in July. For the six months to January 2, 2022, the group’s sales for the period increased by 10 percent to R91.1 billion. Excluding the impact of the temporary closure of the Supermar kets RSA LiquorShop business due to Covid-19 lockdown regulations, the group increased the total sale of merchandise by 8.2 percent. The group’s core business, Supermarkets RSA, contributed 79.5 percent to group sales and achieved sales growth…

Bang Showbiz Disney says the upcoming Snow White remake takes “a different approach” to the dwarfs in the fairytale after Peter Dinklage blasted the story’s “backwards” depictions. The studio has responded after Dinklage blasted the upcoming live action remake and criticised the fairytale’s “backwards” depictions of dwarfism. In a statement, a Disney spokesperson told Variety: “To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community.” This week, Dinklage admitted he was “a little taken aback” by the studio celebrating casting “a Latina actress as Snow White” despite the story’s problematic representation of people with dwarfism. The Game of Thrones star – who has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia – said:…

Nokwanda Ncwane nokwanda.ncwane@inl.co.za A study by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) revealed that drivers of the much-loved Volkswagen Polo were the worst in South Africa and were involved in the most fatal crashes. The study, titled South African Fatal Crashes Context, analysed fatal crash data from October 1, 2017 to June 30, 2021. It also analysed Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) speed infringement data from January 1, 2019 to June 20, 2021. The study found that the Volkswagen Polo, Toyota Hilux and Toyota Quantum were the vehicle models mostly involved in fatal crashes in South Africa, and accounted for the highest number of speed infringement fines issued. A total of 48 330 vehicles were involved in 37 583 fatal crashes, with 45 232 deaths during the period,…

Lehlohonolo Mashigo lehlohonolo.mashigo@inl.co.za HUMANITARIAN and explorer Kingsley Holgate is embarking on yet another expedition, where he will be taking part in a world-first Hot Cape to Cold Cape, a 30 000km humanitarian journey of purpose through 30 countries in Africa and Europe. It will take him from the southernmost tip of Africa (Cape Agulhas) to the most Northern part of Europe (Nordkapp in the Arctic Circle in Norway). Holgate said the principle of “using adventure to improve and save lives” would be a strong focus of this Defender Transcontinental Expedition and would involve the following humanitarian and environmental work in sub-Saharan Africa, inter alia. Malaria prevention: * Distribution of effective, long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets. * Support to the Goodbye Malaria indoor residual spraying operations. Mashozi’s Rite to Sight: * Eye…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za CIVIL society organisations, Palestine Festival South Africa, in partnership with Afro Arts SA, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and the Joburg Theatre, are gearing up to host a larger-than-life commemorative tribute concert in honour of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The event, which is set to take place this weekend will feature more than a dozen internationally-acclaimed artists from South Africa and the diaspora. The show will be hosted live to accommodate an international audience through a 90-minute live stream and will feature several creative genres, from music, dance, poetry, caricature, mural art to photography, videography and cartoonists. Speaking on the inspiration to host the unique event, Palestine Festival South Africa director Nadia Meer said that Tutu was an internationalist whose impact on issues related to faith, politics…

FAROUK ARAIE | Gauteng ENERGY Minister Gwede Mantashe’s claim of foreign-funded attempts aimed at him personally are extremely disturbing if they are proven to be true. Interference in South Africa’s internal affairs has been in progress for almost 75 years. It is a recorded historical fact that a foreign intelligence service betrayed Nelson Mandela in 1962, the tip-off lead to his capture. He was arrested near Howick on the August 5, 1962. Even today the world’s intelligence institutions are constantly monitoring events in South Africa. The global community will not tolerate such blatant intrusions. Intrusive spying is a gross violation of diplomatic protocol, and international law. Brian Freemantle in his book CIA: The Honourable Company poses the question: “Which organisation forments revolution and civil unrest in countries…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za A FITNESS specialist is honouring a decade-long promise by running 295km to fund the final-year school fees of a learner close to her heart. Nickey Seger, 48, a fitness specialist and well-being coach from Strubens Valley, Joburg, was working at Scuba City in Ferndale in 2005 when she met Goodwill Khuzwayo, 41, a man who became disabled through a near-fatal taxi accident. Inspired by his resilience, Seger wrote to Radio 94.7, hoping that Khuz-wayo would be chosen during their annual 94.7 Xmas Wish. After three years of reaching out to the radio station, it agreed to grant Khuzwayo’s wish to send his daughter, Nellie, who was in Grade 2 at the time, to MacLaren College. Nellie thrived in her new environment, but her father was unable to…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za A MUNICIPAL office in Johannesburg was rocked by burglaries and the vandalism of 20 computers just days apart. City of Joburg MMC Belinda Echeozonjoku said she was deeply shocked and disappointed at the burglaries that had occurred at Development Planning offices. This came after Building Development Management staff discovered that the sixth floor of the Metro Centre in Braamfontein had been burgled and 20 desktop computers vandalised on Tuesday. Another burglary took place at the Metro Link building on January 14 where criminals broke into the building and damaged six computers. According to the City, both incidents revealed the same modus operandi as the burglaries resulted in the theft of hard drives, processing units and memory chips. Investigations were under way by the SA Police Service and…

IOL Reporter and Nhlanhla Mbatha THE JOBURG Public Safety department is calling on all front-liners who are yet to take the Covid-19 jab to shrug off their hesitation in a bid to bolster efforts to achieve herd immunity. Scores of public safety personnel, including Joburg metro police officers, Emergency Management Service (EMS) officials, and disaster management employees, have already received the Covid-19 vaccine; however, the take-up has been slow. Nokulunga Moeti, an occupational health and safety nurse, said the law did not permit the department to force its staff to vaccinate but encouraged front-liners to take the jab as soon as it’s practicable. “We want all front-liners to be vaccinated because so many of our colleagues have died in the line of duty since the outbreak of the coronavirus," Moeti…

MORGAN BOLTON Comment WHEN it comes to Lewis Hamilton, it very much seems as if Marvel villain ‘Thanos’ has collected all the infinity stones, wielded the infinity gauntlet, snapped his fingers, and blipped the seven-time world champion into oblivion. Indeed, it has been 47 days since he lost the world drivers’ championship to Max Verstappen at the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and yet there has been barely a squeak, murmur, whisper, or disgruntled mumble from the great Brit. His last public appearance, by all accounts, was at his investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on December 15 where he was officially knighted by the Prince of Wales. The last time Hamilton posted – and for a sportsperson he tends to do so regularly - on his Twitter account was December…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za THE SOUTH African Reserve Bank’s (SARB’s) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) raised interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) yesterday in line with economist predictions, due mainly to inflation from food, fuel and utility prices rising faster than expected. Reasons for these rising prices included supply disruptions to the global economy arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, into a global market where demand was rising quite sharply after being subdued during the pandemic, SARB Governor Lesetja Kganyago said. The rise in repo rate to 4 percent, suggested by four out of five MPC members, pushing the prime lending rate to 7.5 percent, was not unexpected. In a poll 16 out of 23 economists had predicted the 25 basis point increase. Kganyago, responding to a question…

Michael O’Sullivan BASED on Francine Rivers’s best-selling 1991 novel, a Christian-themed historical romance loosely inspired by a minor character mentioned in the biblical Book of Hosea, the faith-based melodrama Redeeming Love tells the story of Gold Rush-era prostitute Angel (Abigail Cowen) and the power of love – both a good man’s and God’s – to transform and heal. Sold into sex work as an illegitimate child, and now plying her cynical trade in the town of Pair-a-Dice, California (say it out loud to get the full effect of the groan-worthy pun), Angel is subjected to all manner of physical, sexual and psychological abuse over the course of the film, which somehow manages to be both sugary and tawdry, both highly polished and slightly lazy. Before she is reluctantly rescued by…

Old Johannesburg Warehouse Auctioneers will hold their first auction of the year this weekend. The Johannesburg branch’s 1 195 lot auction, spanning two days, is all online. The first part tomorrow comprises Continental, Africana and modern furniture; silver; ZAR coins and collectables. Also art, with the likes of Frans Claerhout, Jean Welz and Titta Fasciotti. On Sunday it’s the turn of designer, retro and antique furniture; art; collectables and decorative arts, including jewellery, watches and designer handbags. There will be 300 lots of Victorian, art nouveau, art deco, antique and modern pieces, including rings, earrings, necklaces, pendants and bracelets, as well as loose gemstones and loose and certified diamonds. For watch collectors, brands include Rolex, Omega, Montblanc, Cartier, Breitling, Bulova and IWC. There are also collectors’ handbags and sunglasses. The…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za TSHEGOFATSO Pule’s murderer simply parked his Jeep in an open field near the reformatory school in Noordgesig, Soweto, grabbed her by the arm to force her out of the car, and shot her dead. Muzikayise Malephane, the murderer sentenced to 20 years last February for the cold-blooded crime, described Pule’s last moments at the South Gauteng High Court yesterday, bringing his victim’s relatives seated in the gallery to tears. He is the State’s star witness in the criminal case it pursued against Ntuthuko Shoba, whom it accuses of masterminding Pule’s killing. Shoba, fired as a Johannesburg Stock Exchange analyst following his arrest, had an on-and-off romantic relationship with Pule. He plotted to have her killed by hanging in a bid to hide her pregnancy from his full-time…

Jonisayi Maromo jonisayi.maromo@africannewsagency.com PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has received Letters of Credence from ambassadors and high commissioners-designate who have been designated by the governments of at least 13 countries who have now start serving officially in diplomatic missions in South Africa. Ramaphosa met and officially welcomed heads of mission from countries on Tuesday, including Malawi, Argentine Republic, Romania, Israel, Equatorial Guinea, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Republic of Congo, Mexico, Hellenic Republic, Algeria, New Zealand and Cuba. Considering the salient relations between South Africa and Israel, there has been mixed reactions in the public discourse over the arrival of newly appointed Israeli Ambassador to South Africa, Eliav Belotsecovsky. Last year, Pretoria led the charge in opposing Israel’s observer status at the AU. At the time, the Department of International Relations and Co-operation…

The Washington Post Sasha Yonyak had nearly forgotten about the message in a bottle that he tossed off the side of a fishing boat in Ocean City, Maryland, in the US, in the summer of 2019. The 14-year-old figured it was gone for good. But several years after Sasha set the bottle adrift in the Atlantic Ocean, an Irish couple nearly 5 000km away marvelled at it. Ciaran Marron and Rita Simmonds, who live in Belfast, were holidaying in Donegal in north-western Ireland a few weeks ago. They were walking along the beach on January 5 when they spotted a glass bottle washed up. “We knew as soon as we found it that it was going to take us on an adventure,” said Simmonds, 69. They resisted the urge to…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za DESPITE any bluster that might be emanating from the two camps, you’d expect that both the Emirates Lions and the Bulls are feeling tangible amounts of pressure as they head into tomorrow’s United Rugby Championship (URC) showdown at Emirates Airline Park (kick-off 3pm). Both teams find themselves in the bottom half of the URC standings, the Lions ever so slightly better off due to the fact they have won two of their six matches to sit 13th, while the Bulls are second last in 15th. The concern is arguably more acute for the Bulls, who have invested heavily in their squad in an effort to be more competitive in this competition, which they have battled to do. It has worked a treat in the Currie Cup, the…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za BLITZBOKS captain Impi Visser says it is vital that his team hits the ground running at the Estadio Olympico de la Cartjuna in Seville, Spain, tomorrow after having had to sit out the play on Friday. The 26-year-old prop points to the fact that the Blitzboks will be facing Spain first up tomorrow and will have to be match ready, especially as the home side would have played their first match on Friday already (against the USA), while South Africa had a first-round bye due to Fiji again missing out because of Covid complications. Like last week, South Africa will – alongside the other two teams in Pool A – be awarded three match points and a 0-0 scoreline due to the Fijians being unable to play…

TENNIS’ bad boy Nick Kyrgios was at it again yesterday, smashing a racquet and flipping a finger at the crowd as he and partner Thanasi Kokkinakis ensured an all-Australian Melbourne Park men’s doubles final for the first time in 42 years. Kyrgios and Kokkinakis defeated third seeds Horacio Zeballos and Marcel Granollers 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 to set up a final tomorrow against fellow Australians Matt Ebden and Max Purcell. The combustible Kyrgios hit boiling point as he complained about the net cord machine, then pulled out of a service motion at 4-2 in the first set. He also complained that the Rod Laver Arena crowd were yelling in between first and second serves, despite the fact that he and Kokkinakis had been whipping the fans up into a boorish frenzy.…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za STATE-OWNED power utility Eskom said yesterday that it had kept the lights on since late November last year as it ran the gauntlet of numerous challenges and affirmed it had burnt more than R3 billion in diesel on open cycle gas turbines (OCGT) to keep pace. The utility had battled vandalism, fraud, technical mishaps, wet coal, loss of generation capacity and low energy availability factors leading to difficulty in maintaining its generation and transmission capacity. With Koeberg and Medupi out of the count with a collective 1 600 megawatts out of commission, Eskom has already spent R5.5bn for the year-to-date to run its own OCGT plants and a further R3bn to purchase electricity from the private Avon and Dedisa plants, as the energy availability…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za Party animals, get your groove back because Cotton Fest is taking place this year. After a one-year break due to the pandemic last year, the third annual Cotton Fest will take place on March 19 and 20 in Newtown, Johannesburg, under the theme “University and Campus”. The organisers have created their own university of Cotton Fest campus, through which the festival will offer a multi-layered experience, including a concert, merch (merchandise marketed to a particular fan base), cafeteria, sports area and even lockers for attendees to store their personal belongings. Founder Riky Rick said: “Following the past 20 months that we have all lived through, we are humbled to be back yet again to make an impact in the entertainment industry. “With the huge support and backing…

Play Africa Twenty children from Hillbrow gathered outside Play Africa at Constitution Hill, on the corner of Kotze and Queen streets, to put the final touches to a new mural celebrating children’s rights and the Constitution. The images created by children for the mural include children of all colours, demands for girls’ rights, security, housing and play. The words “We love our Constitution!” and “We have rights!” are written large. The young artists were joined by dozens of people who celebrated their creative endeavour, including local artists, officials and dignitaries from the High Commission of Canada in South Africa. South Africa celebrated the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution in December. The painted mural covers a brick wall measuring 9m wide by 4m tall formerly covered in graffiti.…

Kedibone Modise kedibone.modise@inl.co.za GRAMMY-nominated musician Somi Kakoma is set to release her forthcoming new album, Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba, in honour of music icon Mama Miriam Makeba. The album will drop on March 4, on what would have been Makeba’s 90th birthday. According to Somi, the new body of work is a celebration of the late Makeba’s immense contribution to the music industry. “This album is my attempt to honour the unapologetic voice of an African woman who inevitably made room for my own journey and countless other African artists. In short, I owe her. We all do.” Released under her own record label Salon Africana, the album features Somi’s renditions of Makeba’s popular songs, including Pata Pata, Malaika and House of the Rising Sun. The 17-track album…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za THERE is no doubt that the wave of dance challenges has taken the world by storm, it is a form of entertainment many people have taken part in. Popular Umhlobo Wenene radio presenter Putco Mafani also jumped on the dance challenge bandwagon, not knowing it would land him in hot water at work. In a video that was swirling on social media, Mafani was seen dancing to the Nkao Tempela Dance Challenge on a table at the SABC studios. Mafani has since issued an apology letter following his suspension at work, detailing that excitement got the better of him. “To all my fans, family and colleagues at Umhlobo Wenene FM, I know it sounds weird but I am sorry for allowing myself to be swept by…

Staff Reporter THE South African blind cricket team will be touring Pakistan for a One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 series from February 26. The Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) has invited the Blind Cricket South Africa (BCSA) to compete in an international bilateral blind cricket series from February 26 to March 9. The national team will compete in three ODIs and three T20 matches against their Pakistani counterparts. This tour promises to be enthralling as it will pit the team against the 2017 T20 World Cup and 2018 ODI World Cup finalists. The City of Joburg’s Sport and Recreation Directorate and BCSA hosted a training camp for the preliminary squad. “It has been an effective training camp for Blind Cricket SA. “This camp has enabled us to not only prepare…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za HISTORY and the latest reports suggest that Pitso Mosimane’s days as Al Ahly coach could be numbered. It is rumoured that Ahly are not happy with the way Mosimane has been open to the media about contract negotiations between him and the club. “I am not sure where we are at. We negotiated before the CAF Champions League final against Kaizer Chiefs. Until this moment, we haven’t reached an agreement,” Mosimane recently said. “There is no disagreement about the salary but there are some issues regarding other points in the contract. I want to continue working with Al Ahly and I hope we reach an agreement before the Club World Cup.” Al Ahly pundit Ahmed Shobier confirmed that the club have not been happy with the way…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za While she’s grown accustomed to captaining the Proteas Women, Sune Luus knows the role will be very different in the next few weeks as the World Cup comes firmly into focus. Luus is in her 10th year as an international player, has played 88 one-day internationals, been to World Cups in both 50-over and T20 formats, and captained the Proteas 16 times. And all that time and experience will be vital for her as she and the team wrap up preparations for the ODI World Cup which begins in March. While she has that leadership experience, Luus said on Wednesday she was aware that captaining at a World Cup will not be the same as doing so in a bilateral series. “Captaining in a World Cup is…

SADIO Mane and Mohamed Salah have helped Liverpool conquer England and Europe, now both crave Africa Cup of Nations winner’s medals. Both sharp-shooters will be in quarter-final action on Sunday in Cameroon with Mane-inspired Senegal tackling surprise package Equatorial Guinea, while Salah and his Egypt teammates confront Morocco. Mane says he would “swap all the medals he has won for a Cup of Nations gold gong”, while Salah talks of the “desperation of the Egyptian people for another title” after last being champions in 2010. If they continue winning, twice runners-up Senegal and record seven-time champions Egypt will meet in next Sunday’s final of the marquee African sporting event. Here, we look ahead to the quarter-finals with Tunisia, Cameroon, Egypt and Senegal favoured – but shocks are almost inevitable in…

Smiso Msomi smiso.msomi@inl.co.za ABBUBAKER Mobara was paraded to the media along with South Sudanese striker Manyiek ‘Abraham’ Majok as AmaZulu FC made their aspirations clear by beefing up their squad for the second half of the Premiership season. Former Orlando Pirates man Mobara will look to bring his versatility, aggression, technical ability and experience at both club and international level when he reunites with coach Benni McCarthy at the Durban club. Majok, 23, who has played the better part of his career in Australia, joined Usuthu after a spell with PAEEK in Cyprus. The lanky forward passes the eye test, but whether he is the missing piece to Usuthu’s attacking prowess remains to be seen. AmaZulu already possess a wealth of striking experience with the likes of Bongi Ntuli, Lehlohonolo…